June Hall, Director of Main Square Daycare and Board member at TCBCC, deputed to CDRC October 23rd 2017 on the City’s Child Care Growth Strategy – Phase One Implementation (2017 – 2019).

“In September of 2016, the City stopped placing subsidies for children 3.8years and older. Our centre laid off a staff including paying severance, and we cut over $30,000 from our program budget. On Nov 2016, our program submitted our annual budget for 2017. It took too long for the City to get back to us. We had already paid out expenses for our 2017 operating year, and then we found out that the City was going to be cutting $23,706 from our budget. Programs need to be notified before the budget year starts, and <they need> be able to participate in a two-way conversation, about the details of any adjustment. The current environment does not allow programs to expand and be supported. if we can’t communicate in a timely manner, expansion is too difficult.”

Do you have a story to share? Tell us about it so we can show Council the evidence of what Children’s Services policies and practices are doing to our centres. Let’s make June’s deputation summary a reality for us all – “Expansion is expected by city residents, is possible by centres that operate programs, but it relies on appropriate and reliable funding! “